Maple Leafs Earn First Win Under Jim Hiller With 2-1 Victory Over Islanders.
TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs responded to their season-opening loss with a strong defensive effort Wednesday night, defeating the New York Islanders 2-1 and giving coach Jim Hiller his first win behind the bench. Easton Cowan provided an early spark for Toronto, recording a goal and an assist during the opening period. Colton Sissons also scored, while goaltender Anthony Stolarz turned aside 26 shots to help the Maple Leafs protect the lead.
Toronto opened the scoring at 7:14 of the first period when Sissons redirected a pass from Nick Paul for his first goal with the Maple Leafs. Cowan added to the advantage later in the period, scoring on a power-play rebound with 8:05 remaining in the opening frame. The Islanders struggled to generate offense for much of the night against Stolarz, who kept New York off the scoreboard until the third period. Emil Heineman eventually broke through for the Islanders, scoring short-handed with 5:51 remaining. New York could not find a second goal, however, as Toronto held on for the victory. Ilya Sorokin finished with 24 saves for New York.
The Maple Leafs entered the game looking to recover after falling 3-2 to Montreal at home in Tuesday's opener. Wednesday's result gave Toronto its first victory of the season and Hiller his first win as the team's coach. The Islanders will return home Saturday to host the New Jersey Devils. Toronto will also be at home Saturday when it faces the Ottawa Senators.
